Robert E. Finnigan
| Robert E. Finnigan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Emmet Fnnigan May 27, 1927 Buffalo, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry |
| Institutions | United States Air Force, Electronic Associates, Finnigan Instrument Corporation |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois |
| Doctoral advisor | Gilbert Fett |
| Spouse | Bette Van Horn |
Robert Emmet Finnigan (born May 27, 1927) is an American pioneer in the development of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry equipment (GC/MS). Finnigan founded the Scientific Instruments Division of Electronic Associates, Inc., producing the first commercial quadrupole mass spectrometer in 1964. He then formed Finnigan Instruments Corporation to combine a computer system with a quadrupole mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph. Finnigan's GC/MS/computer systems are used to detect and identify trace organic compounds, making them important instruments for the monitoring and protection of the environment. They were adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a standard instrument for monitoring water quality and were fundamental to the work of the EPA.
Robert Finnigan was born on May 27, 1927, in Buffalo, New York to Charles M. and Marie F. Finnigan. He was one of seven children, who were raised primarily by their father after their mother's early death.
Robert Finnigan entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in June 1945, graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science. On April 1, 1950, he married Bette Earl Van Horn at Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas. The couple had met while he was at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida.
Because of his strong interest and aptitude in electrical engineering, he was able to enroll in an Air Force Institute of Technology program that sent qualified officers to graduate school. He attended the University of Illinois, receiving an M.S. in electrical engineering in 1954 and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1957. His master's thesis work with Edward C. Jordan used the ILLIAC to solve complex mathematical functions in antenna theory. For his Ph.D. he researched servomechanism theory with Gilbert Fett, completing the thesis Transient Analysis of Non-Linear Servomechanisms Using Describing Functions with Root-Locus Techniques.
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